


Blue Ribbon

by SweetSorcery



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Coming Out, Declarations Of Love, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Male-Female Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-10
Updated: 2011-08-10
Packaged: 2017-10-22 11:30:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/237572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SweetSorcery/pseuds/SweetSorcery
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cedric is really rather shy. Too shy to do anything about his feelings for Harry. But thankfully, he has a good friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Blue Ribbon

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: All canon referred to within belongs to JK Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books, Raincoast Books, Warner Bdos. Inc., and possibly others. Non-canon bits were created for non-profit, non-infringement entertainment.
> 
> Archiving: Nowhere except here, and not in translated form either.
> 
> Author's Notes: This was written quite a while ago, for a Valentine's Day gift exchange, and it's exceedingly sweet and fluffy, as per the very specific request. :)

"You should just tell him, Cedric." Cho playfully nudged the Hufflepuff's shoulder. They where sitting on a large, spell-warmed rock between the covered bridge and Hagrid's hut, wrapped up in layers of clothes.

Cedric gave her a funny look. " _Just_ tell him? Cho!"

She giggled. "How bad could it possibly be? You've been pining after him for the last five months. You only asked me to the Yule Ball because you'd seen him looking at me and panicked that he was going to ask me."

"I'm sorry," he muttered, but she only smiled.

"It's okay. I understand. So, why don't you tell him?"

Cedric moaned as if in pain. "Because he could tell me to get away from him and never, ever come near him again. He could tell me that he hates the very sight of me, call me any number of horrible names, and then laugh about me behind my back. Or, he might actually get scared of me, which would be worst of all."

Cho grew serious. "You really are crazy about Harry, aren't you?" She wrapped one arm as far around his shoulders as she could reach.

Cedric sighed, hunched over dejectedly. "Yes, I am."

"Do you really think he'd do any of those things? I mean, really? This is Harry."

Cedric shrugged, nearly dislodging her arm. "I don't know. I hope not. He seems too... nice. But then why wouldn't he be? He has no idea what I--"

"Oh, shush." Cho retracted her arm and considered Cedric with a frown. "You're the most handsome boy in this school. You're smart, you're funny, and you're completely nice. Anyone would be crazy not to like you back." She smiled at the blush spreading across Cedric's cheeks.

"Or straight," Cedric said.

"Hm." Cho didn't seem convinced. "I've seen him looking at you, Cedric."

He gave a soft, sad laugh. "It's those big green eyes of his. They always look at you like they adore you. He can't help that."

"Who else have you seen him looking at as if he adores them?" Cho questioned.

"Well, there's..." Cedric frowned. "Um... you?"

Cho laughed. "Not really. When he asked me to the ball, he looked kind of desperate, actually. Like he'd been trying to figure out how to get a date and was running out of options."

"Seriously?" Cedric tried hard not to get his hopes up.

"Seriously."

"Why would Harry have trouble finding a date for the ball? That's just..."

"Weird, I know. But maybe he didn't really want to ask a girl."

Cedric looked at her suspiciously. "You're just trying to make me talk to him, aren't you?"

Cho threw her gloved hands in the air in a gesture of exasperation. "Of course I'm trying to. You're miserable, Cedric. And you'll be miserable as long as you don't know whether Harry fancies you too." She gave him a stern look. "But I'm not making this up. He asked me to the Yule Ball because maybe as girls go, he likes me. But he couldn't exactly ask a boy, could he? It's not been done, as far as I know; which is stupid anyway. How do you know he wouldn't have wanted to ask you?"

Cedric snorted. "He's Harry Potter. If he'd wanted to, he would have. He's not all about the rules, you know." He sounded both fond and admiring when he said that.

Cho grinned. "That may well be. But he's also three years younger than you. He's been given a hard time about supposedly trying to steal your glory. Then there were those badges. And as for you..."

Cedric looked quite distressed by that point. "Oh God, what did _I_ do?"

"Nothing. But... he actually seems kind of shy. And you're never on your own, Cedric. He's not likely to walk up to you and ask you to the Yule Ball, or even Hogsmeade, or a walk to the lake, while you're surrounded by half of Hufflepuff sneering at him."

Cedric covered his face with his hands. "Oh no."

Giggling, Cho hopped off the rock and stood in front of Cedric. "Look, let me sort something out. I really think you have a chance, you know."

Cedric looked at her suspiciously. "What are you planning? And why?"

"You'll see. I just want to give you an opportunity to be alone with him so you can talk. As for why - I like him, and I like you, and..." She blushed. "I really like the idea of the two of you together, if you must know." With that, she grinned and hurried away back to the castle.

Cedric stared after her, sputtering and wide-eyed.

* * *

When one of the girl house elves popped into the Hufflepuff common room late the next evening, Cedric nearly jumped off the sofa. Or he would have, had she not landed heavily on his foot - which was folded against the base of the sofa at a very awkward angle. He yelped out loud in both surprise and pain.

"Oh! We is sorry! Clumsy Trippy. Clumsy!" The small creature, dressed in a gingham apron wrapped around her like a sarong, reached for one of the smaller logs by the fireplace behind her and was about to start beating herself with it.

"No! No, stop that." Cedric snatched it away from her, suppressing a wince when the end of the log bounced off his sore toes as Trippy let go suddenly. "It's fine. You don't need to punish yourself," he said through clenched teeth.

"But Master Diggory's foot!" She bent over and poked Cedric's toes experimentally.

He bit his lip to keep from screaming, and quickly grabbed her wrist. "Nothing wrong with my foot. Doesn't hurt at all. Really." he looked at her sternly, praying she'd stop poking it.

Trippy gulped and nodded.

"Now, did you want something?" Cedric asked with an encouraging if tight smile.

Trippy looked around as if to make sure no one would overhear.

Cedric frowned, following her eyes. The only other students nearby were a group of fourth years and a few isolated older students with their heads bent over their homework. Cedric himself liked to study late in the evening when most of his housemates were already in bed - Hufflepuff wasn't the quietest of houses during the day.

The house elf tugged at his sleeve. "Trippy was sent to give a message to Master Diggory."

"Oh?" Cedric set down his Charms book. "Who sent you?"

She averted her eyes and blushed, to Cedric's surprise. "Harry Potter."

Cedric's heart bounced happily for a moment. "Really?" He grinned. "Ah... well, what's the message?"

"Harry Potter wishes to see Cedric Diggory in the Transfigurations classroom." Trippy nodded, proud to have remembered the message despite all the excitement.

"Now?" Cedric asked, already rising from the sofa.

"Yes. Oh yes," she nodded frantically. "Right away."

"Thank you, Trippy." Cedric beamed at her.

Blushing even more deeply, Trippy snapped her fingers. By the time she had winked out of existence, Cedric was already rushing out the portrait hole.

* * *

"Harry Potter, sir!" Dobby wailed, running down the corridor. "Harry Potter!"

Harry, who was sneaking towards the Gryffindor common room under his invisibility cloak, cursed under his breath. He'd been out flying, and really didn't fancy being caught out after curfew. Why was Dobby running towards him, yelling his name, anyway?

A moment later, Dobby disappeared and reappeared under the cloak with him.

Harry's heart nearly stopped. "Merlin, Dobby!"

Dobby blinked up at him. "Dobby is looking for Harry Potter."

"Yes, I kind of guessed." Harry sighed. "I'm under this so I'm not seen, Dobby. Could you not try and get me in trouble?"

Dobby dropped his eyes. "Oh. We is sorry."

Harry frowned. "How is it that you can see me through this cloak?"

"House elves has many powers," Dobby declared a little pompously.

Harry snickered. "Really. Well, now that you've found me, why were you looking for me?"

"Dobby almost forgot!" The house elf squeaked. "Dobby was sent to fetch Harry Potter. Cedric Diggory wishes to talk to Harry Potter in the Transfigurations classroom."

A tingle of excitement ran through Harry. "Cedric? Really?" He hoped these mysterious house-elf powers didn't extend to seeing in the dark as well, because he was sure he was blushing furiously.

"Yes. Cedric Diggory of Hufflepuff house," Dobby confirmed importantly.

For a moment, Harry wondered whether it was some kind of trap by someone who despised his reluctant Triwizard champion status, but as he had his wand on him, he decided to simply be cautious and go see. "Okay then. Thank you, Dobby."

Dobby had raised his fingers to snap them when Harry asked, "Did he say anything else?"

"No!" Dobby quickly squawked, and was gone with a pop.

Harry frowned. Then he turned on his heels and all but ran back the way he had come.

* * *

The Transfigurations classroom was lit only by a sliver of moonlight peeking through a high window. Cedric was hobbling back and forth through the pale beam when the door flew open. He winced and fell back, his foot - which had begun to recover nicely - hit by the thick door hard enough for it to bounce off. He squeezed his eyes shut and whimpered in pain.

"Shit, are you okay? Cedric?" came a disembodied voice from the doorway.

Cedric had his wand out in a second, breathing heavily as he supported himself on the edge of a desk. "Harry, is that you?" he asked, his voice laced with pain.

"Oh, sorry." Harry appeared one body part at a time from underneath an invisibility cloak, to Cedric's utter astonishment. He might have questioned him about it, or complimented him for taking care while out after curfew, or any number of other things, but he was far too distracted by Harry's dishevelled hair and the brightness of his eyes. Harry looked as if he was... excited to be there.

The Gryffindor took in Cedric's lopsided posture and pained expression, and his face fell. "Oh no! I didn't hit you with the door, did I?"

Cedric found his voice, croaking, "Just my foot. It was already a bit tender, don't worry."

But Harry was clearly worried, because he frowned. And then he knelt in front of Cedric, dropping his invisibility cloak carelessly beside him. "What happened to it? Aside from me, I mean."

Cedric stared down at Harry, who was reaching out to carefully touch his toes. He swallowed. "Trippy."

"Trippy?" Harry looked up at him. "The house elf?"

"She landed on it and then proceeded to poke it."

Harry winced in sympathy and pulled back his questing fingers. "Oh, sorry. I won't touch."

Cedric cursed himself. "No, it's okay. I... I mean, you'd be careful."

"Yes, I would be," Harry told him, and Cedric was sure he was blushing, but Harry had lowered his head and bangs of black hair obscured his face. "Shall I try a healing spell?"

In Cedric's experience, when someone _tried_ a healing spell, the result tended to be worse than the original injury, but for some reason, he didn't stop the next words bubbling forth. "Yes, please."

Harry pointed his wand at Cedric's toes and murmured something under his breath and, in an instant, the pain melted away into sweet bliss.

"Oh, God. Thank you," Cedric sighed with relief.

Harry grinned and stood up. "Least I could do." Then he frowned. "Why didn't you heal it right after it... I mean, Trippy, happened?"

Cedric gaped at him. It hadn't even occurred to him. "Um... I..." He simply had no idea. Well, he had an idea, but he couldn't exactly tell Harry that he'd been in too much of a hurry to see him to worry about a bit of pain. "She said you wanted to see me urgently," he tried instead.

Harry's eyebrows shot up into his hair. "I wanted to see you?"

"Uh..." Cedric's fingers nervously scratched at the edge of the desk he was sitting on. "Didn't you?"

"Of course I did! I mean... no," Harry blushed. "I didn't ask to. Ask Trippy to, I mean. Dobby fetched me because... to see you."

Cedric couldn't help but chuckle at the mess Harry was making of his denial. Though by then, he was beginning to put together what was going on and that clearly, Harry had been duped into coming here just as he had. Damn Cho, she really could have told him. "I didn't tell Dobby to get you," he admitted.

"This is odd," Harry was saying, looking up at Cedric from under his eyelashes. He didn't look angry, more as if he was weighing up possible explanations. Cedric could virtually hear him thinking as he watched Harry's even teeth nibbling at his bottom lip in concentration.

Cedric somehow managed not to sigh and start spouting poetry. "Yes. Very." Well, here was his chance to talk to Harry, but what could he possibly say?

"Oh no, it's a trap!" Harry suddenly exclaimed, wand raised and looking around nervously. "We've been lured here, Cedric. Shit, I should have known," he started rambling, reaching to brush a finger over his lightning-bolt scar. "I wonder why my scar didn't hurt? This has to have something to do with Vol--"

"Harry!" Cedric interrupted. "Calm down. It's nothing like that." There was nothing for it. Of course, Harry would assume the worst, because the worst tended to happen to him. Cedric couldn't leave it like that.

"How do you know?" Harry asked, not relaxing his grip on his wand.

Cedric sighed. "I think I know who sent the house elves for us. In fact, I'm sure."

Harry lowered his hand slightly. "Who?"

"Cho." There was no way out of this now, and Cedric was sure Cho had anticipated this. She wasn't in Ravenclaw for nothing.

Harry blinked. "Cho? Why... what's going on, Cedric?" He looked almost angry then, as if he sensed some kind of nasty trick being played on him.

Cedric tightened his jaw. "She said she would arrange a chance for me to talk to you alone. I guess this is it."

Harry's face went through a range of expressions from flabbergasted through curious, finally settling on amused, of all things. "Why do you need to talk to me alone?"

There was no easy way to do this, Cedric knew. "I need to tell you something you might not want to hear."

"Is this about Cho? Because I want you to know that I'm not..." Harry started.

"No! Not at all," Cedric interrupted, only to curse himself for it because Harry might have cleared up that lingering worry about his fancying Cho.

"The tournament then?" Harry guessed next, sounding oddly eager.

"No, not that either." Cedric sighed. "It's about me. And it's quite... personal."

Harry looked at him in silence now, clearly intrigued. Interested.

It made Cedric no less nervous. "Harry, I... God, you're going to hate me for this. Before I tell you, promise you won't start feeling scared of me or anything. Because I'd never do anything to hurt you, you know. Never. And I'll never talk to you again if you don't want me to."

Harry blinked. "Why would I... never mind. Tell me, Cedric, please."

"I like you." There, it was out.

Harry smiled carefully, blushing. "I like you too, Cedric. Why would I hate you for telling me that?"

"No, I mean... I really, _really_ like you." Cedric's voice was soft and cautious.

Harry stared at him, searching his eyes. Then he stepped a little closer - close enough to hear Cedric breathing heavily. "You mean, 'like me' as in 'wanting to see me quite a lot'?"

Cedric nodded dumbly.

A slow, pleased smile tugged at Harry's lips. "'Like me' as in 'wanting to be alone with me'?"

"Uh huh." Cedric pulled his shirt collar away from his neck with his index finger.

Harry stepped a little closer yet. "'Like me' as in 'wanting to... touch me'?" With this, he raised his hand and ran it lightly down Cedric's arm.

Shivering, Cedric nodded.

"Anything else?" Harry asked, not removing his hand.

"Yes." Cedric looked at it where it rested on his forearm, then met Harry's eyes. "I would really like to kiss you, Ha..." Before he had finished the sentence, Harry was standing on his toes, pressed against him, and his mouth was covering Cedric's.

Cedric remained frozen in surprise for only a moment. Then he sighed against Harry's lips and wrapped his arms around him tightly. A soft smile sweetened the kiss further when Cedric felt Harry's fingers digging into his back as if the Gryffindor never wanted to let him go again. One of them moaned softly.

The large Hogwarts clock chimed midnight at that moment, and a funny little musical jingle had Harry and Cedric pulling apart hurriedly. They looked deep into each other's eyes, both of them flushed but unable to stop grinning.

Then Harry caught movement out of the corner of his eye and started to giggle, pointing past Cedric's shoulder.

On the desk behind him stood a silver music box with two figures spinning on top of it - two boys, dressed in immaculate dress robes, dancing to the tune emanating from the base. They never would have seen it if not for the silver catching the moonlight as both the base and the figures on it rotated. When the tune stopped, Cedric picked up the box and grinned at the blue ribbon attached to it; there was something written on it. He showed it to Harry.

" _Cedric is Harry's, Harry is his. Now celebrate Valentine's Day with a kiss!_ " Harry read, chuckling.

"Cho," they both stated at once.

Cedric looked at Harry with a smirk. "We're already ahead of her with that kiss. She told me that you were shy. I guess even Ravenclaws can be wrong."

Harry laughed softly. "She told me the same thing about you."

"What?" Cedric gaped at him. "You mean..."

Harry nodded. "She told me that I was being very obvious about how much I fancied you, but that because you were such a sweet, shy boy, I would absolutely have to make the first move." He grinned. "I learned in my first year here that if you know what's good for you, you should listen to bossy, clever girls."

Cedric grinned and reached out to pull Harry close again. "Is it okay if I make the second move then?"

Harry nodded eagerly, and his sigh of pleasure melted like chocolate in Cedric's mouth.

 

THE END


End file.
